The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-07-20

chained to living man. which he could not
shake Off even by the most strenuous e1fOrls.
Paul may have seen criminals subjected to
| which he visited and he saw in ii q faithful
portraiture OF the struggle in his own bosom
| with the sin that dwclt i'm him. Our Dest
commentators agree that Paul Is here giving
his own experience anu not his experience be-
fore but after conversion. And this expert
ence rs here detailed Is not inconsistent with
what Gods children have experienced In ev-
cry generation. They all have the same hu-
mlity, the same sense of guilt, the saIie con-
scIousneSS Of indwclllng s!n the same cunvic-
tDn of helpleSsness. They are all sensible OF
intGrfnrcs wi h their doing what they would,
and they are Just rs sensible of an earnest
and sincere purpose to do what Is right. They
consent unto the law that it is good. The con-
one. They groan under it. so did job and
| David and Isaiah and many other Bible Chris
| Clans. Now If there are chose who have no
sin in their hearts, who do not have to strug-
gle with evil tcmpcrS ann dispositions, hav-
| ing wholly overcome and trampled them I'M
der foot then they have an experience differ
ent from the hest OF Bible saints. They have
Il Christian experience of which the Bible does
not know anything.
!. Pcrfectionism ignores another great char.
actcrslic of Christian experience as it IS pre-
scented in the Bible. viz, that it Is progress
sive, going on from /" lower 10 q higher stage.
a growth In grace rs IL Is expressly called.
| Many figures are employed by the sacred
writers to illustrate this progress. They of.
ten compare it to the growth of plants and
trees. The principle Of spiritual life is com
pared 10 corn in good ground, tO n tree by the
rivers of water, to the palm tree md cedar In
| Lebanon which are said to he full of sap and
bring fnl tn fruit IN old age. 1t IS compared to
the growth Of the human body. There are
babes In Christ to be fed on milk and others
who require strong meat Again, it is COM
pared to q journey, to running in a race and
dawE of the morning to the bright blaze Of
MONDAY. Now the very idea of progress i'm
] plies that perfection has not been attained.
suppose one is already completely sanctihed,
| then all these cXhurtations in the Bible to
grow in grace and all the directions how this
may bc attained would be Of no use to him.
| He has gone beyond the need of these. Why
should he pray or study the Riblc or attend
upon tho services of the sanctuary. lie has
already attained the very ends to be effected
by these things. That system Of things called
the means Of grace were instituted for the
perfccllng. of the saints. for establishing and
building Them up, for helping them on to the
measure of the stature OF the fulness of
Christ, but our perfectionist has these things
already and they cannot'be of any use to him.
| lie has gone beyond the point where they can
be Of any service TO him.
8. There are many passages of Scripture
which seem specially fired to warn against
those who embrace this "Perfect Holiness
Doctrine" ! can only quote few of them.
Paul tells of some who were pulied up with
their fieshly mind; and he uttcrS these awful
warnings: "Bc not high minded but fear"
"Mind not high things but condeScend to men
Of low estate ABE not wise in your own con.
ccits," "Tet him that thinkcth he standeth.
take heed lest he fall Doesn't 1t seem plain
written just to meet such deluson MS that
we are combating?
In Isaiah we nre told of those who say
''Stand by thyscr, come not near to me, for !
am hoicr than thou" This Is thai spiritual
pride that is most hateful to God and The very
rcverS" CT the true Christian character. 1t is
not something we nrc to imitnt" but some
thing :nr lis to avoid. To boast of our supc-
riur holiness is the very reverse OF gospel
sanc!iiiruiion. To bc pond Of our gifts Of
our attannlcnts, of the fact that we are better
than others is to have the very spirit of the
humility, tho dis;rust. the low estimate of
ourselves which Is Cm!nently part of Il holy
character.
There Is one mere verse that want you TO
notice and will put il in Il paragraph alone,
that its fnrccfunrSs may not he lost among
several other passages. II IS | John is, "If
We say that We have no Sin we deceive our-
selves sand the trnih is not in MS Now mark
this language, "if VIC say we have no sim
that's the prrirciinnist, veritablc, full-1lcdgcd,
unmiXed with anything else; and what does
this inspired apostle say of such an one, "tha
he dcccivcs himself and the truth Is not In
him." He is Il poor, ignorant mistaken,
blinded, deudcd sinner, he Is male up of lies,
there is no truth about him. And yet men
teach this doctrine and people pretend 10 this
perfection while this passage remains in the
Bible!
.. There are three examples in the Bible of
people vino clamcd to be pcrfcciioniS;s and
only three, and present these as my lust ar
guncnt. (D The Pharisrcs made this prctcn-
sion They could not have had much conf
dence In this claim: still they wanted others
to believe that they We're free from sin, yet
the Saviour says of these very people that
they were whtcd ScrulchrcS without and
within full OF dead mems bones and I'LL un-
clcanncSS (2) The yonng maa who said to
Christ Of the commandments, call these have
/ kept from nv youth up i;ni the Saviour
showed that his cialn was false, zone thing
thou hckcst,' and that one thing was the
principal thing. the one thing nrctllu and lie
would not give up Ills wealth for the saviour.
C0 The Church Of Laoducea, the Saviour said,
"Thon sayrst am rich and Increased in goods
and have need of nothing. That was their es-
tinatr U themselves, but Chris said aS their
true State, Thou art wretrlcd ana miserable
and poor and blind and naked" Two things
are common TO these three examples. They
all claimed TO be rcrGrctinniSts, TO be without
sin; Yet all thr'c were WilhGnt grace, awiully
dc!u.ied. Is there not Il warning i'll these eX-
amplCs To uS all?
IT. may be asked what harm c:ln this per.
fccion do even if il is wrong? why attempt
To diSprorr II" why warn people against IT,?
answer, any wrong Wow OF Christian eX-
pCrirncc is dangerous. II wOnld he easy tn
show 1hat this perfect holiness dOclrine leads
either to funaticis!n nn the one band, or to
inndrlity on The O;ncr i, however, cannot
now discuss this part of the subject
The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is
the great agent in Sanctifying Gods people.
and that he carries on this work through the
truth. The word Of God is the sword of the
spirit, the nStrumentnlify by which he
works. The knowledge Of the truths con-
TUNED in the scriptures feeds and strengthens
the spiritual man, under the prcSenrh and
fostering operations Of the spirit. This Is the
Bible plan; this Is Gods plan, and not ma
chinery; not shoutings, and vocifcrations,
and bodily cOn:ortinns, and lOud prayers.
Elijah was tnnght that the Lord was not in
wind, or thrra"thquake, or The fire, bul in the
still small voice. Away hack In the middle
Of The jewish diSpcnS;ltion God PIT u IL frown
on This Gospel OF Fuss and taught his pco-
pie that the y were not sanctficd 10y noise and
disorder and confuSOn; hut the Spirit works
gently. quietly, unostcntatiously, and yet cf-
fCctivcly.
Some Striking PIankS in the Plat